1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to liquid applicators and more particularly pertains to a new liquid applicator device for selectively applying paints used by children.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of liquid applicators is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,014 describes a fountain brush which utilizes gravity to apply a liquid by means of an applicator bush. Another type of liquid applicator is U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,722 discloses a device for dispensing flowable substances that has a piston rod type of valve which must be repositioned to allow the liquid to flow out onto an applicator brush. This device also requires gravity to induce the liquid out.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the need remains for a device that comprises no moving parts and does not required gravity to cause the liquid to be dispensed.
The present invention meets the needs presented above by the utilization of a squeezable housing in conjunction with a slit-valve mechanism to force the liquid out.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new liquid applicator device that allows the user to more precisely dispense the liquid from the housing.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new liquid applicator device that requires the caps to remain coupled to the housing, thereby lessening the possibility that a small child using the device will inadvertently swallow either of the caps, hence making it safer.
To this end, the present invention generally comprises an elongate tubular housing that has a conical-shaped nose portion being disposed at a front end thereof, and a conical-shaped cap support portion that is disposed at a back end thereof. The housing is designed for storing a liquid. A valve member is disposed in the housing to regulate dispensing of the liquid from the housing. A brush cap member and an end-cap member are both removably attachable to either end of the housing, depending on which configuration the device is in, those being either a stored configuration, or an in-use configuration. A pair of elongate, cord-like securing members secures each of the cap members to the tubular member to prevent the child from inadvertently swallowing either of the caps.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.